


Extraordinary Magic

by coldfiredragon



Series: Shoulder to Shoulder [2]
Category: The Magicians (TV), The Magicians - Lev Grossman
Genre: 'Shoulder to Shoulder' compliant, Bottom Eliot, Canon Bisexual Character, Canon Gay Character, Drinking, Early Relationship, Eliot is a tease, Fluff, M/M, This fic can be read on it's own as a one-shot!, but before their date, non-graphic nudity, queliot, this fits in somewhere after their New York trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 11:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12188913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coldfiredragon/pseuds/coldfiredragon
Summary: One morning in late June, Eliot drags Quentin out of bed to watch an unusual feat of magic.





	Extraordinary Magic

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for the last week of the Welters Challenge. While it doesn't reference the longer fic it works as a 'Shoulder to Shoulder With You' side-fic. It fits best between the New York trip and their Valentine's date.

When Eliot crawled out of bed early one morning in late June Quentin thought little of it. He'd probably gone to the bathroom, and the low hum of the nearby fan lured Quentin back to sleep. He didn't expect Eliot to pounce on him an hour or so later and shake him awake.

“Come on Q, get up and shower, or you'll miss the start of it.” 

“The start 'f what, El?” One long leg swung over his thighs, and Quentin groaned as Eliot straddled his lap. Sleepy clumsy hands fumbled their way from under the blankets. When his fingers found denim instead of bare skin, Quentin skated his eyes up Eliot's skinny frame. His new boyfriend's eyes were bright, and his manner seemed almost sprightly. It was exactly the opposite of the growing lethargy Quentin had been fighting for the last day or three. 

“Why r'you dressed already? Come back to bed.” He curved his hands around Eliot's narrow waist and down over his ass. For a moment Quentin entertained the idea of rolling Eliot under him and stripping the white skinny jeans down his legs. If there hadn't been blankets trapped between them, he might have done it, but the possibility of getting tangled seemed more exhausting than it was worth.

“I promise you'll love this, Q.” Quentin squirmed as light fingers danced up the muscle of his stomach, then Eliot was leaning over him to give him a teasing kiss. Quentin's hand traveled up Eliot's back, and he tugged the silk shirt free from the jeans so his hand could explore plains of warm, smooth skin. When his arms were abruptly pulled over his head in a telekinetic hold, he grunted and bucked his hips against the pin of Eliot's body.

Supple fingers swirled around one nipple as Eliot's other hand caught in his hair. Quentin let the taller man turn his head, so his neck was exposed. He expected a lick or a nip, at very least a kiss, but a soft huff of laughter had gooseflesh rising on his arms. Arousal spiked through his belly, and Quentin spread his legs a little, hoping Eliot would take the hint. 

“Get up, take a shower, and I'll ride you later tonight.” Quentin closed his eyes and imagined that for a second – Eliot on top of him, his skin glowing with a light sheen of perspiration, and no blankets or clothes between them. Quentin was still adjusting to the reality that they were dating, that he was the only one who would get to see Eliot like that. He was sure it would make more than a few of the guys around campus jealous when the new term started, and they realized Eliot was off the market. 

“Where are we going?”

“Q, darling, it's a surprise. That means I'm not telling.” Eliot slipped off of him. The hold on his wrists was released, and Quentin wished he was at least wearing boxers because Eliot grabbed the corner of the blankets as he got out of bed. The sheets billowed as they crossed the column of air produced by the fan. For an instant, Quentin felt like a bull, and Eliot was the matador, goading him into action. He sat up and tossed a pillow over his groin. 

“Give me five minutes.” The silk case slipped between his fingers and Eliot yanked it away with his powers. The blankets had ended up draped over one of Eliot's shoulders, and they pooled around his ankles. An impish grin had spread across his face. 

“Stop hiding your body. You're beautiful, and I like seeing you. Now move. You can masturbate in the shower, and I won't have to wash my sheets.” Quentin sighed, more dramatically than the situation warranted, and got out of bed. A wolf whistle from Eliot as he passed into the bathroom made him smile, but before he could turn to look at Eliot the bathroom door was pulled closed and the shower taps twisted open. Quentin laughed as he reached into the tub to adjust the temperature. 

The bedroom was empty when he came out again, but clothes had been laid out on the bed. He rolled his eyes when he realized Eliot hadn't bothered to grab a pair of boxers, but got dressed regardless and headed downstairs. Eliot was setting twin bottles of chilled wine in a picnic basket when Quentin found him. He'd made a whole lunch for the two of them, and the blankets he'd dragged off the bed were folded and waiting in a neat pile. Four fat, short wooden spikes weighted the folded cloth down. 

“Take those.” Eliot's hand gestured towards the pile as he lifted the basket off the table. “The groundskeeper shouldn't have started yet.” 

“Started what?” 

“You'll see.” Eliot led the way out of the cottage and across the grounds until they reached a spot overlooking the hedge maze. Eliot set the basket down on a nearby bench and started to cast. The spikes lifted off the top of the pile, anchored themselves and thinned as they grew into poles. The sheets became the canopy, and the matching duvet got spread across the grass Quentin watched El drop into the shaded spot he'd made; when Eliot motioned him to sit Quentin moved into his lap. Long arms wrapped around him.

“What's got you so excited?” He murmured as the basket dropped alongside them. Eliot lifted one chilled bottle from the basket and opened it. 

“They are going to rebuild the maze throughout the afternoon.” Quentin surged forward with interest. Eliot's pleased giggle echoed oddly, magnified and changed as he'd brought the lip of the wine bottle close to his mouth. It took about fifteen minutes for the grounds-crew to show up. Quentin had merely expected them to coax the topiary animals into a new pattern. What he and Eliot watched in mortified delight was nothing of the sort. The groundskeeper goaded the topiary creatures into a frenzy until all hell broke loose. A leafy green lioness launched herself at a zebra that had awoken too slowly and proceeded to eat it. She then slinked around the field in search of new prey. 

Watching them destroy one another was one of the most simultaneously beautiful and bizarre things Quentin had ever witnessed. He and Eliot passed the bottle back and forth as the topiary animals whittled away at one another and the groundskeeper dutifully cleaned up what remained. It became a game of survival of the fittest that eventually culminated with the remaining topiary reaching the point where they became so bloated and engorged that they simply settled down to rest. The groundskeeper then moved in and started to trim them back to normal size. The clippings filled in the open spaces and a new maze began to emerge.

The sun had climbed to its apex and was working its way towards the horizon as Eliot laid out the meal he'd fixed that morning. Cooling charms had kept everything fresh. Quentin opened the second bottle of wine so they would each have their own to drink. Three o'clock found the two of them pleasantly tipsy and curled against one another. The movement of the sun had shifted the shade of their canopy so their lower legs were exposed to the heat, however, as long as their torsos remained shaded and the sun was out of their eyes neither of them seemed eager to move 

Once the groundskeeper had finally disappeared and didn't seem likely to return Eliot rolled over Quentin. His hand dipped between Quentin's legs, and he grinned when he realized Quentin had foregone the boxers. The taller man's arm slipped under his shoulders as Eliot leaned to kiss him hard on the mouth.

“We should go back to the cottage.” He purred. Quentin lazily ran his fingers along Eliot's throat. The promise of what awaited him pushed him towards action, and he sat up. “We'll come back and get this stuff later; there's no one around to take it.” 

“Sure, whatever.” Quentin was perfectly happy to do whatever Eliot suggested, especially if they ended up in bed together. The melancholy he'd been fighting seemed to have lifted temporarily, and he wanted to take advantage of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are wildly appreciated!


End file.
